Architecture Abroad: Travis Smith in Finland

A college trip to Finland still influences Ascent’s Travis Smith every day in his design work.

As architects, every city and country we visit provides new insight into the ways others approach architecture and building design. At Ascent Architecture & Interiors, we have several team members whose curiosities have taken them to places all over the world, and we’re excited to have their experiences guide them on our projects.

The Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki, Finland, displays some of the architectural style of the Nordic country.

But it was the architecture that really inspired him, as he noticed the differences and similarities to what he was studying back home. “The biggest difference I think was the ornamental aesthetics of all the buildings,” Travis says. “Every building was crafted very specifically to create a unique sense of style with an intricate attention to detail.”

Ascent Architect & Interiors Design Professional Travis Smith, in his student days, stands in front of the Säynätsalo Town Hall, in Finland.

While he maintains that Finland “is full of amazing architecture,” Travis says that one building really struck him and brought to life a lesson he’d learned in school. It was the Säynätsalo Town Hall, designed by Scandinavian modernist architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). As it turns out, Travis had pulled that building name out of a hat for a project during his first year of architecture school, and his professor tasked him with drawing inspiration from the historic building and its architecture to create a conceptual design piece. After that project, Travis says he was “enamored by Aalto and his designs and by the Town Hall in particular.”

View from the courtyard of Säynätsalo Town Hall, in Finland. The building was designed by Alvar Aalto.

Seeing the building in person – not just studying the photos as he’d done in school – and getting to explore it inside and out had a profound impact on Travis. “It felt as if my journey was complete,” he says.

One of the aspects of Aalto’s design that affected Travis the most was the juxtaposition of the design’s simplicity with the complex nature of the building. “Aalto designed every single square inch of his buildings with incredible detail,” says Travis.

Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto was known for designing every detail of his buildings, down to the light fixtures and door handles.

“The detail and lighting inside the town hall blew me away. He designed the door handles, the light fixtures, the furniture, even the mayor’s gavel inside that building. That attention to detail and the type of craftsmanship that the designer can bring to a project really stuck with me.”

As a result, the building was made up of a random collection of materials, textures, and patterns, which helped Aalto create concepts for future building designs. To complete his journey of the designer, Travis went to Aalto’s personal design studio at his home in Helsinki, as well as Aalto University, in Otaniemi, where Aalto master planned and designed the campus buildings.

Finnish architect Alvar Aalto’s summer home was his “experimental house,” where he explored textures and patterns for his designs.

Travis’ experiences in Finland remain with him today in his work at Ascent Architecture & Interiors. He draws inspiration from Finland in the detailing and design he does.

Travis finds creative outlets at work, and in his hobby of woodworking, where he can “figure out all the details and think things through and figure out how each piece of the design puzzle fits in and affects the other pieces of the puzzle.”

It’s also the level of detail and experience you can expect when you entrust Travis and the rest of the Ascent Architecture & Interiors team with your design project. As an architecture firm, it’s these kinds of experiences that bring character and creativity to every project we do.

About Ascent Architecture & Interiors

Our Bend architects and interior designers collaborate with clients every day who desire a higher level of service and an advanced understanding of architectural design and building technology. Let us guide you through the complicated and rigorous design, permitting, and construction processes. We’ll do it with the integrity, skill, service, and compassion that you and your project deserve.